The Suburbanatrix

Smokey, thick and chock full of veggies…nothing like a bowl of split pea soup on a gray day. Pass me a bowl please.  My Mom has eaten this cold.  It really is that tasty.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 smoked ham shanks, or 2 ham bones, or 1 of each
• 3 bay leaves
• water
• 2 lbs dried split peas
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2  inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by putting the ham shanks in a pot with the bay leaves and pour in approximately 12-14 cups of water.

It should cover the shanks and then some like this-

I know, there’s a shank and a ham bone in there. I said you could mix it up! We’re making a broth people!

Bring it to a boil, then cover and lower the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone easily.

While waiting for the broth to cook, heat up the oil in another pan and saute the onion, celery, and carrots until they are starting to brown, then add butter and garlic

and continue to cook until the garlic is cooked, but not brown, approximately 3-4 minutes more.

After 2-3 hours pull the shanks  out of the pot to cool down. Turn the heat up to medium low and add the split peas, veggies and thyme to the pot. Cook for 20 minutes. The shanks should be cool enough to separate the meat from the bone and anything else that you don’t want to put into the pot. Cut into medium size pieces

Then add the meat and the potatoes to the pot.

Cook until the peas have mostly broken down and the potatoes are starting to fall,  approximately 30 minutes. Then stir in the sugar.

Season with salt and pepper and serve!!

This recipe makes a large pot of soup,  but it can easily be halved for a smaller group. And for my vegetarian friends,  you can make a broth out of veggie stock, 2 tablespoon of smoked paprika, bay leaves and a tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a boil, and add the peas and sauteed veggies and potatoes all at once.  Then lower to a simmer. Be prepared for a split pea soup that’s has an orange color, but is still tasty!